Guest column: An audacious vision for Cambridge schools

Tuesday

May 30, 2017 at 1:09 PMMay 30, 2017 at 2:58 PM

Dr. Kenneth Salim

Last September, Mayor Simmons and I wrote to the Cambridge Chronicle, inviting you to join a city-wide conversation about the future of Cambridge Public Schools (CPS). Iíve spent most of this school year engaged in that conversation with so many of you.

As I have listened and learned about our school district, I have seen many strengths ó including a strong sense of community and passionate commitment to social justice for all students. I have observed many instances of innovative instructional models and effective collaboration within our talented faculty. I have met with thoughtful and engaged parents, and gotten to know some of the great students in our classrooms. Of course Iíve also learned about challenges that contribute to persistent achievement gaps and gained a better understanding of what we need to do to better meet the needs of each and all of our students.

In January, I invited the Cambridge School Committee to join me in charting a bold new path towards greater equity and excellence for all students. Together with a representative group of students, teachers, administrators, families and partners, the CPS School Committee agreed to embark on a comprehensive District Planning Process.

Since then, our new District Planning Team has held two town hall meetings and over 25 visioning sessions with groups that include CPS school councils, the Cambridge Chamber of Commerce, Cambridge Education Association, student government and STARS leadership program at the high school, and community partners from the Department of Human Services and other out-of-school-time partners. These visioning sessions and planning meetings have been far-reaching, honest, and brave. The final product will not be my strategic plan ó it will be a plan that belongs to all of us.

Why do we need a strategic plan for CPS? I believe that the only way to improve is to set goals and to develop an action plan for achieving them. For CPS to address the challenges that we face, we need what Strategy in Action authors Rachel E. Curtis and Elizabeth A. City call an ďaudacious vision.Ē Iím really looking forward to sharing this vision, created by the community through our planning process, with you and outlining the plan that we believe will take us there.

All are welcome to join the District Planning Team at three upcoming meetings, where the team will present the plan and ask for feedback about the work within it that should be our highest priority for implementation next year. These meetings include:

Presentation of the Draft CPS District Plan

Tuesday, June 6, at 6 p.m.

School Committee Meeting Room at†Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS)

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CPS District Planning Town Hall

Tuesday, June 13, at 6 p.m.

CRLS Cafeteria

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Presentation of the Final CPS District Plan

Tuesday, June 20, at 6 p.m.

School Committee Meeting Room at CRLS

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Itís an honor to work with students, educators, families, and partners who have the audacity to believe that Cambridge can do better for all of our students. I hope youíll join us in June as we share our plans for turning todayís challenges into an opportunity for transformation.

Dr. Kenneth Salim is Superintendent of Schools for Cambridge Public Schools. More information on the District Planning Process can be found on the CPS website at http://cpsd.us/cms.